The European Medicines Evaluation Agency started work at its London offices this week (January 1) without having received authority from the European Commission to charge fees, following a vote by the European parliament last month to delay passage of enabling legislation for the agency's fee structure until the New Year.
The Commission had sought to get the legislation voted through in the parliament's December session under the legislature's urgency procedures, but the parliament voted against using this procedure after its budget committee proved unable to secure an undertaking from the Commission to include amendments relating to the use of any profits generated by the Agency. The Commission, which expects the agency to become self-sufficient after 1997, is reportedly disinclined to deal with this issue before it actually arises, while Members of the European Parliament say the matter raises a question of principle which is of relevance to European Union agencies in general.
Amendments Agreed By MEPs Would Not Be Binding The MEPs are calling for amendments to the legislation which would require annual forecasts of the EMEA's income and expenditures to be made, and parliament to be consulted on the agency's budget and any changes to the fee structure, but the procedure under which the legislation has been drawn up mean that any amendments passed by the parliament would not be binding. Therefore, following the Commission's refusal to accommodate the budget committee's demands, parliamentarians felt that they had no choice but to vote down proposals to fast-track the enabling legislation through.
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